EXCUSES

Shipwreck Capt.: I Fell Into Lifeboat

Faces charges of manslaughter.

Francesco Schettino, captain of of the Costa Concordia, told an Italian judge on Tuesday that he “tripped and ended up in one of the lifeboats,” according to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica. “I didn’t even have a life jacket because I had given it to one of the passengers,” Schettino reportedly told the judge. “I was trying to get people onto the boats in an orderly fashion.” Schettino did admit responsibility for crashing the ship into the rocks, saying he “made a mistake of the approach” of the coastline. He also confirmed he had sailed close to the island of Giglio to salute a retired captain, Mario Palombo, and was on the phone with Palombo at the time of the accident. Schettino said he would take a drug test, since “I don’t do drugs and I had not been drunk.” By grounding the vessel close to shore, Schettino said he believed he had saved many lives.